Vapor-circulating system.



W. B. FULTON.

VAPOR CIRCULATING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED MN. 10, 1918.

Patented Dec. 10, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

EJ286388o Attorney W. B. FULTON. VAPOR CIRCULATING SYSTEM.

y I APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10. I918- mswsav 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Attorney.Patented Dec. 10; 1918;

1 Lil? .i nran'r en ries f 517 ELLIAM I3. IE ULTUN, 0F MIDDLETOWN, OHIO.

VAPQRA'JIRCULATING S'YfiTEM.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, lVILLiAM FULTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Middletown, Butler county, Ghio, have invented certain newand useful improvements in. Vapor-Circulating Systems, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Circumstances arise in which it is desirable to bring about thecirculation of vapor in a systein'in which one portion of the vaporrequires to be dealt with at a given pressure while another portion orother portions of the vapor require tobe dealt with at a, lower pressureor even at a partial vacuum. For instance, assume a group of papermachine driers heated by steam passed into them at a given pressure.

to bring about a given intensity of drying, and assume a second group ofthe driers, for the performance of a lower intensity of dry ing, thissecond group of dimers being heated by steam received from the firstgroup at a lower pressure, or possibly at a partial vacuum. It is thepurpose of my system to facilitate the movement of the vapors and waterof condensation in such ,a general system involving a plurality ofpressures, two pressures as in the example just cited, or a greaternumber of pressures.

My invention will be readily understood from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation oi an organization exemplifying myinvention adapted for use in connection with two groupsof paper machinedriers, parts appearing in vertical section in the plane of line a ofFigs. 3 and 4:

Fig. 2 a side elevation of'the automatic valve-mechanism, a portionappearing in vertical section in the'plane of line b of Figs. 1 and a:

Fig. 3 a side elevation of the receiver and its near accessories, partsappearing in vertical section in the plane of lines 0, d and e of Fig. 1and line 6 of Fig. 4: and

Fig. 4 a plan of a portion of the apparatus, a horizontal sectionappearing in the plane of line 7 of Figs, 1 and 3.

In the drawings:

1, indicates a receiver;

2, a pipe connected with the receiver and adapted to convey steam andwater ,of'com Specification of Letters latent. p t t d Deg. 19 91Application filed January 1%, 1918.

Serial No. 211,259.

' densation thereto from the high pressure element of the system, such,for instance, as

' "---lower-pressure.:elernent 9f the system, such,

for instance, as a low-pressure group .of paper machine driers:

v the high pressure group of paper machine a, a bafile disposed withinthe receiverto prevent the direct flow of entrained water to the outlet3:

5, a pump of any suitable character, pref erably of suilicient capacityto handle the water of condensation from the receiver. and from thelow-pressure element of the system and-vtojfimaininill a partial vacuumin the low-pressure element: v

6, a pipe connected with the suction side of the pump and adapted tolead from the discharge of the second element of the general system as,for instance, the low-pressure group of paper machine driers.

7, a pipe placing the suction side of the pump in communication with thebase of the y receiver 8, an automatic valve disposed in this pipe 7 andadapted, as hereinafter explained, to control flow from the receiver tothe pump: I

9, a check-valve in pipe 7, opening toward the pump 7e 10, a leverpivoted to the body of automatic valve 8 and connected with itsvalvestem:

11, a weight adjustable along the lever and tending to urge theautomatic valve to normally closed position:

12, a water-vessel hung upon the lever, in

vertical height corresponding, in a general way, with the level of water;to be controlled in the receiver: x

13, the normal level of water in the receiver and also, as will be laterseen, in the 15, a similar flexible pipe connecting the base of thewater vessel with a point in the receiver below i the normal. waterlevel;

\ therein: I

opposition to weight 11, anddisposd atxa 16, a i'vater-gage, on-thereceiver: 17 various drain-pipes connected with the system:

18, a pipe connecting the suction s1de 0f the pump with the base of thereceiver, independent of pipe. 7: l

19, a check-valve in pipe 6, opening toward the pump:

. I 20, an air-valve or cock discharging from the receiver: and 21,cold-water pipe leading to pipe 7.

.The various pipes of1the system are provided with handvalves whereneeded or useful. The pumpmaybe a pump in fact or its place may be takenby any suitable Suction device, such as an ejector or a sigihonr pipe.The automatic valve may be 0 any usual construction-of balancedstopvalvcs.

,Amunie that the system is empty; thatthe Valves controllin thedrain-pipes. 17 are closed; that automatic valve 8 is closed; that thevalve in pipe 18 is closed so that that pipe is out of service; that allother valves are open except the check-valves; that pipe 2 is connectedwith the outlet of the highpressure element of the system being dealtwith; that pipe 3 is connected with the inlet of the. low-pressureelement of the system being dealt with; that pipe 6 is connected withthe outlet of the low-pressure element of the system being dealt withand that the pump is working.

High-pressure steam, whichis supplied to the high-pressure element ofthe system,

performs its duty therein and'becomes -reduced in temperature andpressure; the steam at the reduced pressure, together with the water ofcondensation, goes through pipe 2 to the receiver and fills thereceiver;valve 20 isto be closed afterthe displaced air has become dischargedfrom the receiver; the

7 water of condensation settles in the base of the receiver; steam goesfrom the receiver through pipe 3 to the low-pressure element of thesystem and acts therein in performing its heating office at alower-temperature and. pressure than :in the first element of thewsystem; baflie t prevents entrained water entering the receiver vbypipe 2 from going directly to outlet 3; the steam together with thewater of condensation, goes from the low-pressure element of the s stemthrough pipe 6 toward the pump; co (1 water from pipe 21 condenses suchsteam as there may g be; the pump discharges this Water of con 8remaining closed; further accumulation of' water raises the level in thereceiver and in the water-vessel and increases the weight of the latter;the preponderance of weight of the water-vessel over the weight 11causes a slight opening of valve 8; the pump now receives and dischargesthis excess" Water; the pump Is at this time pulling on the receiver andon the low-pressureelemcnt oi the system; the withdrawal of the excesswater' causes a restoration of water levelin the Qreceiver and in thewater-vessel, and valve 8 closes; the pump now pulls only on thelow-pressure element of the system; and the pump may thus, under thecontrol of the automatic valve, maintain a constant waterlevel in thereceiver, without interfering with the action of the pump on thelow-preswater level in the receiver becomes controlled with greatnicety. I

It has thus far been assumed that the pump was dealing with alsinglereceiver, but it is obvious that suction pipe 7 of the pump might beconnected with any desired numberof receivers, etc., within the capacityof the pump. If the automatic valve should become disordered in any way,then the hand valves may be so operated as to cut the automatic valveoff from the receiver and place the receiver in communication with thepump through the medium of by-palss pipe 18, it being understood, ofcourse, that the valve controlling the by-pasi valve will be set withextreme nicety or else opened only on occasions The valves in thedrain-pipes 17 permit of the drainage of the entire appa-i ratus," eventhe water-vessels 12 draining through the receiver.

.1. In a vapor circulatingsystem, the combination of a receiver, a steamconnection to the upper portion thereof adapted to lead steam from thehigh pressure element of a system to be dealt with, a steam connectionfrom the receiver adapted to convey, steam from the upper portion of thereceiver to a low pressure element of the system being tion adapted toconvey steam from such low vice with the lower portion of the receiver,a valve in the last-mentioned pipe between the receiver and the pipeleading from the low pressure element of the system, and automatlc meansexterior to the receiver for con- .dealt with, a suction device, a pipeconnec-- pressure element of'the system to the suc- .tion device, a pipeconnecting the suction detrolling said valv by changes of level of 3. Astructure as s'giecified in claim 1 in water in the receiver, combinedsubstantially combination with a. water-pipe connected 10 as set forth.with the inlet of the suction device, substan- 2. A structure asspecified in claim 1 in tially as set forth combination with a valvedbypass pipe con- WILLIAM B. FULTON. nected with the receiver and'withthe suc- Witnesses 1 I tion (levice between it and said automatic ADENAMYERS,

va ve, substantially as setforth. M. S.'BELDEN.

